Snapshots: Hellebuyck, Bellemare, Poirier, Cicek
One of the prominent names featured in recent trade speculation has been Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. While a deal didn’t come to fruition at the draft, Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press feels a trade this summer remains extremely likely. With long-time playing partner Eric Comrie moving on in free agency and Stuart Skinner (a player who has made 50 or more appearances in four straight years) coming in, Winnipeg now has a bit of security if they opt to move the three-time Vezina winner. Buffalo was a speculated landing spot back at the draft while McIntyre believes that San Jose could be a suitable destination. While they have Yaroslav Askarov in the fold, their pivot to more of a win-now approach could make someone like Hellebuyck appealing while they have the cap space to fit him in. Hellebuyck hasn’t formally asked for a trade but that won’t stop the speculation about a possible move from continuing.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- While Pierre-Edouard Bellemare’s playing days are over, his days in the NHL aren’t. The Lightning announced earlier this week that they’ve hired the former center as a Player Development Specialist. It’s a return to Tampa Bay for Bellemare, who played in 153 games with them between the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. Specifically, he will be working with their forward prospects while also spending time working in AHL Syracuse.
- After being non-tendered by Dallas last month, defenseman Jeremie Poirier has found his next team. Adler Mannheim of the DEL announced that they’ve signed the 24-year-old to a one-year contract. Poirier started the season with Calgary but was traded back in February. Between the two organizations, he had 16 points in 51 games last season but also had two years of 40-plus points in Calgary’s system before then.
- Blueliner Nick Cicek has found his next team. Earlier this week, Championat’s Anton Panchenko relayed that the defender has signed a one-year deal with KHL Shanghai. The 26-year-old last saw NHL action in 2022-23 when he played in 16 games with San Jose. Since then, Cicek has spent time in both the AHL and DEL. Last season, he played in 70 games with AHL Calgary, recording 25 points and 119 penalty minutes.
Sharks Notes: Celebrini, Allan, Barracuda
While Sharks center Macklin Celebrini didn’t take home a gold medal in international action this year, he’s taking home an end-of-year international award. The IIHF announced that Celebrini has been voted the IIHF’s Male Player of the Year for the 2025-26 season. Carolina’s Sebastian Aho (Finland) finished second in voting while Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck (USA) was third. On top of finishing fourth in NHL scoring last season with 115 points, Celebrini had 10 points in six games at the Olympics, adding 14 more in 10 appearances at the Worlds, finishing second in scoring in both events. That earned him a spot on nearly 41% of the ballots which was enough to take home the award.
More from San Jose:
- Assistant GM Joe Will met with reporters today to discuss the team’s farm system. He noted to reporters including Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News (Twitter link) that he expects Nolan Allan to make a push for a roster spot with the Sharks in the fall. Acquired midseason as part of the Laurent Brossoit trade, the 23-year-old will be waiver-eligible for the first time in 2026-27 which could help his chances of breaking camp with the big club. Allan has 43 career NHL contests under his belt with Chicago and had 14 points in 35 games with the Barracuda after being acquired. He signed a two-year, minimum-salary contract last month.
- Speaking of the Barracuda, Will indicated (via Sharks Hockey Digest’s Max Miller) that a pair of veterans aren’t expected to return next season in Colin White and Oliver Wahlstrom. White spent the last two seasons in San Jose, playing primarily in the minors. The 29-year-old is coming off a strong showing, notching 48 points in 46 games but appears to be moving on. As for Wahlstrom, he notched 24 goals and 18 assists in 62 games last season, his first in the organization after coming over from Boston. The 2018 first-rounder had to settle for an AHL contract for 2025-26 and could be facing that same fate again heading into next season.
- Lastly, the Barracuda will be losing another netminder as AHL Hartford announced the signing of Gabriel Carriere. The 25-year-old played in 31 games for the Barracuda last season, posting a 2.76 GAA and a .896 SV%. Meanwhile, Hartford also revealed that they’ve inked forward Lucas Vanroboys for next season. The 26-year-old had seven points in 33 AHL contests last season.
Morning Notes: Hellebuyck, Trocheck, Predators Asst. GM
The Sabres were near another big acquisition to add to their busy offseason.
According to Elliotte Friedman via the 32 Thoughts Podcast, Connor Hellebuyck was willing to move his no-movement clause to be traded to the Sabres. This comes from the respect they earned in the league, which Friedman said players used to not waive to say they wanted to play in Buffalo. The Sabres ended a drought where they missed the playoffs for 14 years. They won the Atlantic Division for the first time in franchise history, having never finished above fifth in the division before this season. Overall, Buffalo finished with 50 wins and 109 points en route to the postseason.
The Sabres, who were utilizing their goaltending by committee last season, would’ve had that same trio of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon, and Colten Ellis in goal, or they would’ve opted for Hellebuyck in tandem with probably Ellis. This was added in discussion with how Devon Levi ended up moving out of the Sabres organization.
Additional Notes:
- Vincent Trocheck, who was recently acquired by the Utah Mammoth, was interested in being moved to the Sabres as well accoring to Friedman. Trocheck originally had Utah on his no-trade list within his contract clauses while the Mammoth were attempting to acquire his services last season. After vetoing last season, Trocheck was willing to go out west after seeing the success they had this year around, eventually losing to the Western Conference Champion Vegas Golden Knights. In the Mammoth’s second season ever, they elevated to a 43-33-6 record for 92 points in 2025-26, which was three points better than their first season’s playoff miss with 89 points, finishing sixth in the NHL’s Central Division.
- The Nashville Predators have announced the hiring of Vukie Mpofu as Assistant General Manager. The 30-year-old has worked for four different NHL teams, most recently with the Penguins as a Director of Hockey Ops since 2023. Before his tenure in Pittsburgh, Mpofu was the Manager of Hockey Operations and Legal Affairs with Los Angeles from 2021-23, where he worked for then-Kings GM and current Predators Executive VP of Hockey Ops, Rob Blake. Before that, Mpofu spent the 2020-21 season as a Hockey Legal Affairs Intern for the Vegas Golden Knights. “Mpofu will work alongside MacFarland in all facets of the hockey operations department, including player acquisition strategy; professional and amateur scouting; contract negotiations; salary cap and CBA compliance; roster and personnel decisions; and several other key areas of responsibility,” the press release said.
Photo Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
The Panthers Next Move After Brady Tkachuk: Address Goaltending
The Florida Panthers shook the NHL yesterday.
When it was believed that their big move on Sunday, June 21, would be sending Mackie Samoskevich to Seattle for the 25th overall pick in 2026, they took that draft pick, plus their own ninth selection, and a few hours later, packaged more picks to acquire Matthew Tkachuk‘s brother, Brady Tkachuk.
The Panthers, who originally entered the offseason with $15.7MM in cap space to work with, now have around a little above $7MM in cap space this summer after assembling arguably the NHL’s most stacked forward group it will see next year. Despite having that intrigue, as well as a solidified veteran defensive corps, Florida remains without a goaltender between the pipes to start the 2026-27 season. Both 37-year-old Sergei Bobrovsky and Daniil Tarasov are set to hit the free agent market on July 1st. If those options aren’t in the cards for Florida, they need to look elsewhere, and they have a few avenues to go down.
The Big Fish: Connor Hellebuyck
Brady was one way Florida elevated themselves in a reboot back after ending this past season out of the playoffs, but how to replace the stellar goaltending Sergei Bobrovsky used to provide? Connor Hellebuyck would check those boxes. The 32-year-old is the third-highest-paid No. 1 goaltender in the NHL. That doesn’t come without reason. The three-time Vezina trophy winner as the league’s best goaltender, and 2024-25 league MVP, makes $8.5MM per season and will earn $59.5MM by the time he’s 38 years old in 2031. It would require a contract dealt away to make this happen.
He posted a 2.86 goals against average and a 0.895 save percentage, the SV% chalking up to the worst of his 11-year NHL career. After three consecutive seasons of 30+ goals saved above expected, he ended 2025-26 stopping -0.3, his worst in that category since 2016-17. All of this culminated in a 23-23-11 record in 57 games started for the Jets.
At the Jets’ end-of-season press conference, he had expressed that the Cup was the only milestone missing from his resume, which might not be attainable in Winnipeg. Plus, added seasoning from Chris Johnston of TSN, who said teams are calling based on his disappointment, signs could be pointing to Hellebuyck packing his bags away from the Jets, who ended with a 35-35-12 record, good for 7th in the Central Division after eight playoff appearances in the last ten seasons. In a year where he won a gold medal with the USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, a triumph that saw a dropoff from being a part of the league’s best team for the President’s Trophy just a year ago, and was three wins away from a Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2018, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he’d want to be back in that window.
Low-risk change of scenery
If the Panthers want to stay within their cap space and not spend all the way up to $7MM, they’re going to have to get cute and maybe take a chance on a goalie with a lesser pedigree.
A few names have been circling the goalie trade market that Florida could consider dealing for. New Jersey’s Jacob Markstrom could potentially be available out of the Devils, according to Kevin Weekes of NHL Network. The 31-year-old is entering a two-year, $12MM ($6MM AAV) deal and could use a change of scenery from a 3.07 goals-against average and .883 save percentage campaign in 44 games. Perhaps former 2019 Stanley Cup Champion Jordan Binnington, who enters the last year of a six-year, $6MM AAV contract at age 32 with the Blues, would suffice for the regular season and shine in the big moments of playoff hockey. How about a gamble with the Red Wings on 23-year-old Sebastian Cossa? Despite a late-season fall-off in the AHL, he could present as a low-risk, high-reward pickup considering his status as a former first-round pick from 2021.
Free Agency
If all comes to pass, GM Bill Zito could always just sign a free agent he sees fit for the team. This is also where you could find a budget baller in between your pipes for this season and beyond.
Maybe 27-year-old Stuart Skinner wants to be a cup-contending goalie again. The former Oilers goaltender lost twice to Florida in the finals, but if you can’t beat them, why not join them? If that doesn’t come to pass, Frederik Andersen might want to stay in the warmth of the American southeast. If the reigning Cup champs in Carolina don’t have him back, Florida would enjoy his services of a .910 save percentage and 1.89 goals-against average in 16 playoff games, replicated if possible. That’s just two of 14 goaltenders available, where none aside from former Panther Bobrovsky, made above $5MM last season; those guys would ideally consider Sunrise as a great destination if the Panthers were to call.
Photo Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Morning Notes: Hellebuyck, Karlsson, McIlvane
While most eyes will be on this summer’s center trade market, the trade market for goaltenders should be fairly active as well, particularly for the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers. According to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, the latter has reached out to the Winnipeg Jets to gauge the trade possibility of one of, if not the league’s best.
Much of the trade speculation surrounding Connor Hellebuyck stems from his end-of-season media availability, where he questioned Winnipeg’s ability to build a true Stanley Cup contender, especially given that no other top-level talent has any interest in joining the organization. Still, Hellebuyck added in the same monologue that he loves playing for the Jets and wants to play a part in drawing other players to the organization.
Additionally, Pagnotta noted that Winnipeg has no interest in trading Hellebuyck, but if the three-time Vezina winner were to quietly request a trade, they would navigate the trade waters. Despite the gold medal win in February, Hellebuyck arguably had the worst season of his career, finishing with a 23-23-11 record in 57 games with a .895 SV%, 2.86 GAA, and -0.3 Goals Saved Above Average.
Other morning notes:
- In last night’s Game 5, the Vegas Golden Knights suffered more than just a loss. In the second period, after being hit by Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Sean Walker, Golden Knights forward William Karlsson left the game entirely (Video Link). It’s a difficult blow to Karlsson, who already missed 68 games in the regular season due to a lower-body injury. He’s scored three goals and nine points in 15 games during the playoffs, but his postseason may have come to an abrupt end.
- According to a team announcement, the Boston Bruins have hired Matt McIlvane as an assistant coach, replacing Jay Leach. McIlvane had been the head coach of the AHL’s San Diego Gulls for the past three years, guiding them to an 88-97-31 record, with a berth in the Calder Cup playoffs this season. Unfortunately, the postseason run was short-lived, as the Colorado Eagles quickly dispatched the Gulls in the First Round.
Evening Notes: Hellebuyck, Trocheck, Zub
Murat Ates of The Athletic summarized Connor Hellebuyck‘s scathing review of the Winnipeg Jets 2025-26 season. Hellebuyck was highly critical of the team’s effort throughout the year, saying, “What we did this year was unacceptable. No one wants to be part of that.”
Furthermore, he questioned the Jets’ ability to bring in the necessary talent, saying, “Can you get the pieces that you need? Will the players come? These are always questions that you have in Winnipeg. I’ve made it my home and I like it here, but the majority of the league doesn’t feel the same way.” He went on to articulate that his only focus is on winning the Stanley Cup and has become frustrated with the lack of movement toward that goal in Winnipeg.
Regardless, Hellebuyck didn’t leave any room for speculation, saying how much he loves the city and the organization, and only wishes for other players to see what he sees. Still, it’s indicative of the situation the Jets are in regarding their location and the simple fact that the team has failed to acquire top-level talent in free agency.
Although he silenced many of his doubters during his impressive run at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Hellebuyck has arguably been a key component in the Jets’ failing to reach the Western Conference Final since 2018. In the last three years, Hellebuyck has managed an 8-15-0 record in 23 games, with a .870 SV% and 3.60. He became a radically different goalie than the one he is in the regular season, where he has a 56.1% win percentage and .916 SV% in 615 career starts.
Additional notes from this evening:
- In his exit interview, New York Rangers center Vincent Trocheck spoke at length about the injury that kept him out for the first 14 games of the season. Mollie Walker of the New York Post described the injury, saying Trocheck had a lung infection that required surgery and a week-long stay in the hospital, where he was connected to chest tubes. Trocheck offered a quote to Walker, saying, “I thought I was just having back spasms, and then I played the first game. Got a little bit worse. Played in Buffalo. I got a cross check right in that area, and whatever fluid was in there, it’s like bubbles, and I guess the bubble burst and it spread. So then it just got a lot worse. I had a lot of fluid around my lung, so I had to have surgery to get the fluid removed.“
- According to Julian McKenzie of The Athletic, the Ottawa Senators didn’t provide any update to defenseman Artem Zub‘s status after Game 1. Zub missed most of the contest due to injury, finishing with 7:44 of ice time, adding three hits. There’s a relatively quick turnaround for Game 2, which takes place Monday, so more information will likely come closer to puck drop.
Jets Activate Connor Hellebuyck
The Winnipeg Jets will get an MVP-boost to Saturday’s match against the Washington Capitals. Reigning Hart Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck was activated off of injured reserve just in time for Hellebuyck to take on the starting role. He underwent an arthtroscopic knee procedure on November 21st that was originally expected to hold him out for four-to-six weeks. He now returns just three weeks later.
This will be some great news for the Jets, who have posted a dismal 2-7-1 record since Hellebuyck’s exit. They’ve been among the NHL’s worst performers in that stretch, allowing the second-most goals against (38) and the third-worst goals-against per-game average (3.80) of any team. Their offense has struggled just as much, only scoring 24 goals, or 2.40 goals-per-game.
Winnipeg was rock solid before losing their superstar goaltender. They had a 12-7-0 record and 64-to-52 goal-differential prior to Hellebuyck’s absence. The three-time Vezina Trophy-winner himself had eight wins and a .913 save percentage in 14 games. That’s his lowest save percentage since the 2021-22 season, but still ranks as the sixth-highest in the league among goalies with 14-or-more starts.
Hellebuyck’s precedent often sits far above sixth-best. He led the NHL in wins (47), save percentage (.925), and goals-against-average (2.00) among goalies with at least 35 starts last season. It was enough to earn Hellebuyck MVP acknowledgement, making him the first goaltender to take home the Hart since Carey Price in 2015. Hellebuyck certainly sits in-line with that company – boasting a career-long .918 Sv% in 582 games, to Price’s career .917 Sv% in 712 games.
The Jets’ goalie room quickly dries up with their starter on the shelf. Eric Comrie took on the starting role over the last few weeks, but only managed to bring his stat line up to six wins and a .886 Sv% in 15 appearances. Thomas Milic also posted a .871 Sv% in three appearances. The 22-year-old is only one season removed from an extended run in the ECHL. With these shifts, Hellebuyck will return to an unrivaled role in Winnipeg’s starter’s crease, while Milic heads back to a competition for the AHL starting role.
Injury Notes: Hellebuyck, Ellis, Perbix
On today’s episode of Insider Trading, Darren Dreger of TSN discussed Connor Hellebuyck, saying that the Jets goaltender is nearing a return, as soon as next week. Dreger says the star wanted to return even sooner, but Winnipeg is making sure he is eased back in properly. Next Monday’s home game vs. Ottawa could be the focus.
Hellebuyck underwent a minor arthroscophic knee procedure in November, which came with an estimated 4-6 week timetable, but thankfully the back-to-back Vezina winning netminder has recovered quickly and is set to come back by year’s end. He was 8-6-0 with a .913 save percentage and 2.51 GAA prior to going down.
The defending President’s Trophy winners have faltered a bit so far this season, losing six out of their last 10 and currently three spots out of a wild card spot, but the team has had to lean heavily on Eric Comrie, a respectable backup who has never played in more than 20 games a season. Hellebuyck’s return will be instrumental for the group going into 2026 as they look to get back on track.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Midway through tonight’s game the Buffalo Sabres announced that goaltender Colten Ellis will not return due to an upper-body injury, leaving Alex Lyon to take duty. He was shaken up after Oilers forward David Tomasek drove to the net, catching the goalie’s head with his shoulder, which earned a penalty, and ending Ellis’ night with a minute remaining in the first period. The 25-year-old has flashed potential as a backup this season, after being claimed off waivers from St. Louis in October.
- Nashville beat reporter Brooks Bratten shared that defenseman Nick Perbix would return to the lineup tonight against Colorado. The Minnesota native had missed the last three games with an upper-body ailment, and has been a dependable blueliner since signing from Tampa Bay last summer. Nashville opted for seven defensemen tonight, as forward Tyson Jost was healthy scratched against his former team.
Central Injury Notes: Brindley, O’Connor, Hellebuyck, McCarron
Speaking on Denver’s Altitude Sports Radio (via Evan Rawal of The Denver Gazette), head coach of the Colorado Avalanche, Jared Bednar, provided a few injury updates to forwards Gavin Brindley and Logan O’Connor. In a positive development, Bednar indicated that Brindley is ahead of schedule and is expected to return by the end of the team’s current road trip.
Brindley, 21, has been a valuable depth scorer for the Avalanche this season, registering four goals and seven points in 18 games, averaging 9:17 of ice time per night. That production in so few minutes garnered a two-year, $1.75MM extension from Colorado earlier in the season. Despite offering quality production in the team’s bottom-six, it’s difficult to say if the scorching Avalanche even noticed Brindley’s absence, as they’ve managed a 5-0-1 record in the six games without him so far while outscoring opponents 22-6.
Meanwhile, Bednar was more neutral when speaking on O’Connor. The seven-year veteran hasn’t played since Colorado’s Game Seven loss to the Dallas Stars last postseason due to a hip injury, and the team is still waiting for a clearer picture of his return.
Other injury updates from the Central Division:
- According to Mitchell Clinton of the Winnipeg Jets, the team is expected to have netminder Connor Hellebuyck resume skating relatively soon. Although he won’t be returning early, it’s a positive update that Hellebuyck is staying on his original recovery timeline at the very least and has not suffered a setback. In the report, head coach Scott Arniel jokingly said, “I’m going to make sure he has four yellow (non-contact) jerseys on.” Winnipeg is 2-5-0 without Hellebuyck, allowing 25 goals against on 204 shots (.877 SV%).
- It doesn’t appear that Nashville Predators forward Michael McCarron will miss any more time with a lower-body injury. Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean reports that McCarron fully participated in practice today after missing the team’s most recent contest against the Calgary Flames. The bottom-six center has scored one goal and five points in 25 games for the Predators this season, with a 53.8% success rate in the faceoff dot.
Jets Recall Elias Salomonsson
The Jets announced they’ve recalled defense prospect Elias Salomonsson from AHL Manitoba. Connor Hellebuyck is headed to injured reserve in the corresponding move. The placement is retroactive to Nov. 19, his last appearance before undergoing an arthroscopic knee procedure that has him out for another month-plus.
Salomonsson, 21, is coming off an All-Star Game nod in his rookie season with the Moose last year. The smooth-skating righty may be in his second professional season stateside, but he racked up parts of four seasons in Sweden’s top league with Skellefteå before landing in Manitoba. He’s never put up particularly gaudy point totals. However, he’s never been in a position to, logging top-four minutes in a notoriously offense-suffocating SHL before playing top-pairing minutes on a Moose team that scored just 2.35 goals per game last season. Over the past two seasons, he’s posted a 5-28–33 scoring line with a -7 rating in 70 games for Manitoba.
It’s been more of the same from the 6’2″ Salomonsson to begin this year. He’s yet to score a goal through 17 AHL contests, but has six assists – a number that’s tied for the team lead amid another disastrous offensive campaign from the Moose. His even rating has him tied for fourth on the team among skaters with at least 10 appearances this season.
Salomonsson’s skating, stick skills, and vision are what made him the No. 12-ranked European skater by NHL Central Scouting in the 2022 draft. He went to the Jets midway through the second round at No. 55 overall and signed his entry-level contract a few weeks later, although they loaned him to Skellefteå in back-to-back campaigns before the deal went into effect for 2024-25. In those two seasons, Salomonsson advanced with Skellefteå to the Swedish Hockey League championship series both times, winning the crown in 2024. He also earned a silver medal with the Swedes at that year’s World Junior Championship.
Salmonsson ranked inside the league’s top 100 prospects on offseason lists from Elite Prospects (No. 94) and Scott Wheeler of The Athletic (No. 76). He’s universally lauded as Winnipeg’s top defense prospect and is a consensus top-three prospect in their pool.
His ceiling will likely be directly related to his point production at the NHL level. He has enough of a well-rounded skillset to virtually guarantee him a job as Winnipeg’s No. 3 right-shot defender with penalty kill deployment next season after Colin Miller becomes an unrestricted free agent. How his ability to read plays adjusts to the top level will determine whether he can challenge Dylan DeMelo or Neal Pionk for a top-four job and steal some power-play work, too.
In the short term, he’s ticketed to make his NHL debut tomorrow against the Capitals in second-pairing duties alongside Dylan Samberg in place of Pionk, who left Sunday’s game against the Wild in the first period with a lower-body injury. He’s listed as day-to-day and was back on the ice before today’s practice, Kelly Moore of 680 CJOB Winnipeg reports, so he isn’t expected to miss significant time.
With Samberg missing a good chunk of the campaign so far due to wrist surgery, Pionk has struggled. The 30-year-old righty scored 39 points and had a +21 rating in 69 appearances last season, practically a career year, that landed him a six-year, $42MM extension. This season, he’s been limited to a goal and four assists in 21 appearances despite an uptick in power-play deployment. His two-way play has taken a step back, too. After controlling 56.7% of expected goals with Samberg last season, he controlled just 42.5% when Logan Stanley was elevated to his left side in Samberg’s absence to begin this season. Since Samberg’s return, though, his and Pionk’s xGF% is back over 54.
Salmonsson likely won’t stick with the big club once Pionk is healthy, barring a particularly impressive performance alongside Samberg in his debut. He’s still got another year left on his entry-level deal and remains waiver-exempt through that time.
Image courtesy of James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images.